The Pure Hearts!
by Owen96
Summary: Count Bleck and Timpani go to Flipside to visit their old friends, when suddenly the ground begins shaking uncontrollably. Flipside Tower collapses, and Dimentio steals The Pure Hearts, along with kidnapping O'Chunks, Mimi, Nastasia and Blumiere. It's up to Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, Luigi, Tippi and Merlon to collect all The Pure Hearts and save the world.
1. Destruction!

Count Bleck, or Blumiere, entered Flipside with his wife, Tippi, or Lady Timpani, using transportation to get there. After six years, they eventually had permission to go out of their world and back into Flipside to see O'Chunks, Mimi and Nastasia. They were warned that something dangerous could happen, but they went anyway. They walked through the bustling streets and entered Merlon's House.

"...And that's why I need a new pair of trousers every day." O'Chunks finished.

"Woah...heavy..." Mimi said.

"Would you like any more enchanted biscuits?" Merlon smiled.

"No thanks. Last time I ate one of those I turned invisible and nobody could hear or see me for a year." Nastasia said.

"Exactly." Muttered Merlon, putting the plate down on the table.

"Wow, this day marks the sixth year since The Count left to save the world..." Sighed Mimi.

"I wonder if we'll ever see him again..." Nastasia wondered.

"Or Tippi..." Added Merlon. "I miss that butterfly..."

"Oh, why did they have to sacrifice themselves!?" Cried Mimi. "The Count was the best!"

"If they didn't do it we wouldn't be here right now, Mimi." Said Nastasia.

Then the door opened and Count Bleck stepped in, Timpani close behind. They all turned to them and gasped.

"Count! Count! It's really you!" Mimi burst into tears and ran towards him, hugging him.

"Count? I can't believe it!" O'Chunks yelled.

"Hello Mimi." Smiled Count Bleck. "Hello O'Chunks."

He then walked towards Nastasia.

"I never got to thank you for sacrificing yourself to save my life...If you didn't all of us wouldn't be here right now." Count Bleck said.

"Count, um, I never got to tell you something. I wanted to, but, um, with the world ending and all that, I never got time to." Nastasia said.

"What is it, Nastasia?" Questioned Count Bleck.

"I...I..." Nastasia tried to say it.

"Tippi! I missed you so much!" Smiled Merlon, hugging her. "It's really strange seeing you in human form."

"I missed you too, Merlon." She smiled.

Suddenly the ground began rumbling. The plate of biscuits fell off the table, smashing.

"No! The biscuits!" Merlon cried in terror.

Books fell off the shelves and The Light Prognosticus, the book that helped Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser and Luigi defeat Count Bleck, disappeared in a flash of light. Everyone gasped.

"What happened to The Light Prognosticus?" Gasped Timpani.

"Oh No..." Whispered Merlon.

"What is it, Merlon?" Asked Mimi.

"Everyone, get out of the house, now! Get up to the top of the white tower where Mario and his friends went through the doors to collect The Pure Hearts! Tippi, you know the way! Show them, quickly!" Merlon ordered.

Tippi nodded and led all of them out, Merlon following. They left the house and screamed in terror as it collapsed. The residents of Flipside were running around screaming, not knowing what was going on. Houses collapsed around them, sending rubble flying.

"Quick, get to the lift!" Merlon yelled and they all quickly went into it.

The lift travelled upwards extremely quickly. It opened and they all stepped out, gasping in shock. Eight white pillars were outside the eight doors which Mario and his friends went through six years ago. Eight sparkling hearts rested in each of the pillars.

"The...Pure Hearts..." Gasped Tippi. "I don't understand! They all disappeared forever when me and Blumiere sacrificed ourselves, along with The Chaos Heart!"

"I was working in my house one day, when I suddenly heard a loud noise, coming from the top of the tower. I rushed up there, thinking it was an intruder, and I stopped in my tracks. The eight Pure Hearts were all there in a circle, shimmering brightly. All the doors were activated too. I took all of The Pure Hearts and put them in the eight white pillars that were used six years ago." Merlon explained.

Suddenly a large, black heart appeared. The entire town of Flipside was blanketed in darkness. They all gasped.

"It...can't be..." Whispered Nastasia.

"The Chaos Heart!" Cried Count Bleck.

Then they heard a voice and they all gasped. It was extremely familiar.

"Ahahaha, hello, everybody!" Dimentio appeared.

"DIMENTIO!" Roared Count Bleck. "Mario and his friends defeated you after you betrayed me!"

"Ahaha, silly Count Bleck. I was defeated and sent to the Underwhere, but I used my magic to escape. It took me six years, but now I'm back! And I'm taking The Chaos Heart and The Pure Hearts with me!" Dimentio yelled and raised his hands into the air.

A tornado suddenly appeared, blowing everybody backwards. Merlon gasped as The Pure Hearts were sucked out of the white pillars, and each of the doors went black. The Pure Hearts circled Dimentio, The Chaos Heart in the middle.

"Ahaha! Ciao!" He clicked his fingers and he disappeared, along with The Pure Hearts and The Chaos Heart.

But it wasn't over. A small void appeared in the background, and suddenly got larger.

"Oh No! There's another void! And this one's growing a lot faster!" Merlon cried.

"What do we do?" Asked O'Chunks nervously.

"...We need Mario back." Merlon said.

Then the floor began to crack. Everybody looked down as the cracks travelled along the floor, eventually reaching the end of the tower. It suddenly collapsed, and they all fell.

"EEEK!" Shrieked Mimi as she got closer and closer to the ground.

Suddenly, she disappeared in a flash of purple light.

"Lass? Where did yer go?" O'Chunks looked around, when he also disappeared.

"Count! I need to tell you something!" Nastasia cried.

"What?" Count Bleck asked.

"I-I..." Nastasia disappeared and Count Bleck screamed.

"Blumiere! I lo-" Timpani screamed as Count Bleck suddenly disappeared.

She glanced over at Merlon and braced herself for impact.

...

"Gwahaha! Forget it, Mario! You'll NEVER get The Princess back!" Laughed Bowser as he pulled a lever.

A trapdoor opened and Peach fell through, attached to a rope. She was above a boiling pit of lava. She screamed in terror.

"Mario! HELP!" She cried.

"Come on, Mario, let's do this!" Luigi cheered and leapt towards Peach.

"Ew, not you, Luigi. You suck." Peach kicked him away. "MARIO! COME HELP ME NOW!"

"Gwahaha! Forget-" Bowser disappeared.

"What the-" Luigi gasped when he also disappeared.

"Okay, this is REALLY strange, I just want to slap you, Mario!" Peach screamed when she also disappeared.

Mario looked around in shock when he also disappeared.

...

"...ario..."

"Mario..."

"MARIO!"

Mario leapt up, looking around in shock. Luigi, Peach and Bowser were standing in front of him. There was destruction everywhere. He then realised he was standing at the base of Flipside Tower, or what was Flipside Tower. Half of it had completely come off and was resting next to them, all in pieces. Fire was everywhere and there were no houses or people in sight.

"What happened to Flipside?" Peach whispered.

"Mario! Princess Peach! Bowser! And Luigi...yay..." Merlon muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Merlon! What happened here?" Gasped Luigi.

"It's Dimentio. He stole The Pure Hearts and completely destroyed Flipside! Everyone has evacuated to Flopside, however, but Dimentio has kidnapped O'Chunks, Mimi, Nastasia and Count Bleck!" Merlon explained.

"Count Bleck? He's returned?" Gasped Peach.

"Where is that Dimentio so I can stomp his face in!?" Roared Bowser.

"He disappeared." Merlon shook his head.

"W...Where am I?" A butterfly appeared from behind some rubble. "Merlon? Why do you look so big?"

"Tippi!" Peach squealed.

"Mario! Princess Peach! Bowser! And Luigi...yay..." Muttered Tippi.

"That's exactly what I said!" Merlon said.

"What happened to me?" Tippi asked.

"Timpani...I'm sorry...but you hit the ground hard, and you were almost dead. I had to return you to your Pixl form." Merlon informed her.

"Oh..." She sighed. "Well...at least Mario's back!"

"How are we going to defeat Dimentio?" Luigi asked.

"You have to collect the eight Pure Hearts, but Dimentio stole them and Flipside Tower is completely destroyed so you can't go in the doors to look." Sighed Merlon.

"Wait...What's that?" Asked Luigi, pointing to something sticking out of the ground.

"It's a waste of our time!" Scowled Bowser. "Send us back right now!"

"It's...It's a Pure Heart!" Gasped Merlon, using his magic to lift it out of the ground. "Dimentio must have dropped this one when he left."

"Well, that's a start. It looks the same as it did before, and I don't think it's damaged." Tippi said.

"If we set this in a Heart Pillar, a door somewhere WILL open! Then we can look for The Pure Heart in the world beyond the door!" Merlon exclaimed. "But Flipside Tower was destroyed and The Heart Pillars were on it..."

"Well, The Pure Heart survived! A Heart Pillar has to be somewhere!" Luigi said.

"My feet are tired and I'm hungry. I don't want to go!" Bowser complained.

"I'll go with them. I need to reunite with Blumiere." Tippi said.

"Are you sure, Tippi?" Merlon asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Nodded Tippi.

"Okay then. When you find The Heart Pillar, place The Pure Heart inside and then come back to me." Merlon ordered and the others nodded.

Current Party: Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, Luigi and Tippi.

The group tried to enter the lift which would take them to the second floor, but it was completely destroyed and it wouldn't activate.

"Oh Dear...the first Heart Pillar was on the second floor before, and now we can't get up!" Peach cried.

"Hmmm...Let's keep looking somewhere else." Tippi said as she fluttered alongside the group.

They headed left, avoiding rubble as they went. All they could see was fire, rubble and collapsed houses.

"Flipside has been totally destroyed..." Sighed Tippi as they continued walking.

"Wait, what's that?" Gasped Luigi. "Wait, that's just a rock."

"Why did you think a rock was The Heart Pillar? You idiot!" Muttered Bowser.

"Bowser, this is going to be a long adventure, so just learn to work together with Mario and Luigi, like you did six years ago." Peach said.

They eventually reached a wall and sighed. Then Tippi looked up and gasped.

"There's a ledge up there! We can climb up!" Tippi smiled.

"I'm not sure if I can get up..." Mario said.

"I definitely can't." Bowser admitted.

"Well, I think I can." Luigi said. "I have a super jump, remember?"

"I'll come with you, Luigi." Smiled Peach. "I can use my parasol to get up."

"Are you sure you guys want to stay here?" Asked Tippi to Mario and Bowser, who nodded. "Alright then. I'll go with Peach and Luigi to try and find The Heart Pillar. We'll be right back."

The three got to the ledge and looked around. There was nothing but rubble.

"Wait, what's that?" Luigi pointed at something.

"Luigi, it's a rock." Muttered Peach.

"No, it's a pipe!" Realised Luigi. "Quick, help me get the rubble off it!"

Peach and Tippi noticed the pipe and nodded, helping Luigi to push off the rocks. Then all three of them jumped down the pipe. They landed in a small, green room. They glanced to their right and gasped. A tall, white pillar stood there, surprisingly undamaged.

"That's The Heart Pillar!" Gasped Tippi.

"My only question is, how the heck did that get down here?" Peach said.

"Luigi, put The Pure Heart in!" Ordered Tippi and he quickly put it in.

A flash of red light came off the pillar and the three jumped back, surprised. Then it stopped and they smiled, seeing The Pure Heart resting in The Heart Pillar.

"We did it!" Cheered Peach, accidentally slapping Luigi. "Oops..."

...

"Congratulations, everybody. You found the first Heart Pillar. And look at the tower!" Merlon pointed at it. "It looks like when you placed The Pure Heart in The Heart Pillar some of the tower was fixed! Now you can go into the lift and into the first door, but I think the rest of the tower will be destroyed. While you're looking for The Pure Heart I'll start cleaning up the town." Merlon said. "Goodbye."

The four and Tippi entered the lift and went up to the top of the tower. A red door was there, shining brightly. They all entered it.

...

The door opened and the five stepped out, looking around. There was a void in the background, but it was tiny.

"I guess the first void was only the start of the destruction...We have to stop the other void before it devours all worlds." Tippi said.

They looked around. They were in a grassland, covered with trees and piped and item blocks. However, they could tell some destruction was done there, because some trees were on the floor, broken in half, and most of the pipes were destroyed, and grass was all over the place.

"We have to hurry. The second void will probably be more powerful than the other one." Peach said and they began walking.

They hopped over trees and jumped on enemies, when they eventually came to a locked door.

"Oh...great. It's locked. Now what do we do!?" Muttered Bowser.

"We have to find a key." Tippi said.

"Wait a minute. Tippi, do you feel the presence of The Pure Heart near?" Luigi asked.

"I do, but it's extremely far away. Dimentio must have scattered The Pure Hearts across the worlds." Tippi said.

"Just like Count Bleck did..." Whispered Peach.

"Well, let's start looking for that key." Luigi smiled.

"Luigi, watch out!" Yelled Peach and pushed him into a hole. "Oops."

"Let's split up. We have more of a chance of finding the key then." Tippi pointed out.

"Okay. Dibs on Peach!" Bowser ran over to her.

"Damn! I'm with Luigi!" Muttered Mario.

"Thanks a lot, asshole." Luigi rolled his eyes, crawling out of the hole.

"Let's go!" Tippi smiled. "I'll go with Mario and Luigi."

"That's very mean of you, Tippi. That means I'm stuck with Bowser!" Peach cried.

"That's your problem." Smirked Mario and the three walked off.

"Whatever!" Peach turned and opened a door to the right, walking through.

...

Mario and Luigi had jumped through a pipe, Tippi following close behind. They landed in a small room, with a chain chomp inside.

"Yeah, I'll stay back here." Luigi chuckled nervously, slowly backing away.

"You can do it, Luigi!" Mario cheered, picking him up and throwing him at the chain chomp.

For the next five minutes Mario and Tippi watched in happiness as Luigi got beaten up by the chain chomp. He came back with his clothes ripped and bruises all over his face.

"There." He muttered.

Another door opened and they all smiled, walking through. A treasure chest was there and they all cheered, opening it. They rumbled inside and pulled out a key.

"Let's go!" Cheered Mario.

...

"Bowser, there's nothing here! COME ON!" Peach screamed, trying to move the giant turtle.

"Oh, I'm sure there is." Smiled Bowser.

"Can you see anything?" Peach folded her arms and glared at him.

"No." Bowser said. "But there is something in here."

"Whatever. I'm going." Said Peach and left through a door.

...

Mario put the key in the lock and the five walked through the door. They gasped in shock, seeing someone lying on the floor.

"N-Nastasia?" Tippi said as they walked towards her.

Suddenly, the ground began rumbling.

"What's going on!?" Cried Peach, falling over.

"Ahahaha!" Dimentio appeared in a flash of light.

"Dimentio!" Growled Bowser.

"What a nice surprise. I'm sure your looking for this." Dimentio clicked his fingers and a red Pure Heart appeared.

"The Pure Heart! Hand it over!" Cried Luigi.

"Luigi, shut up! You're not helping." Muttered Mario.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to give you this. Ahahaha!" Dimentio clicked his fingers again and The Pure Heart disappeared. "Let's see how O'Cauliflower reacts to you wanting The Pure Heart!"

"O'Cauliflower? Really? First O'Chunks, then O'Cabbage, and now...ugh..." Peach face-palmed.

O'Chunks landed on the floor, making the ground rumble once again. Everybody gasped at him and dived out of the way when he tried to attack them.

"Ahahaha! See you never!" Dimentio laughed, disappearing, along with Nastasia.

O'Chunks glared at them, his eyes swirling like he was hypnotised.

"Guys! O'Chunks is hypnotised!" Mario realised.

"We have to defeat him!" Tippi cried.

O'Chunks ran towards them and leapt up. Everybody screamed in terror as he fell towards them...

**...**

**I hope you enjoyed this story so far! I know this story seems like a generic video game story, but when more people join the party and they enter more worlds it will hopefully fet better. Please leave a review! :D**


	2. The Fight!

**Thanks to the people who reviewed, the one person who favourited and the four people who followed! Special thanks to SuperGuest and Nicole Peach, who told me some flaws in this story that could be fixed. I'm going to have the heroes have a longer conversation with Dimentio in this chapter because the last one was about four or five lines long. Enjoy!**

**Note: The previous chapter had humour in it, but from now on it's going to be serious, like my other stories. However, sometimes Bowser will say something stupid that might come off as funny.**

**...**

The five dived out of the way as O'Chunks landed on the ground, making the floor crack. Tippi looked up at him, determination in her eyes.

"O'Chunks! Fight him! Fight Dimentio! He's hypnotised you! You know us! We're your friends!" cried Tippi as she flew out of reach.

"I have no friends! I have Master!" roared O'Chunks as he jumped up, trying to grab her.

"Remember what he did to Count Bleck-Er, Blumiere!? He tried to destroy him, and he was your master! Fight Dimentio, O'Chunks!" yelled Tippi.

Bowser was about to attack him when Peach stopped him.

"Bowser, we have to try and help O'Chunks before we attack him." She said. "It's not his fault."

"Count Bleck? He was just a menace who tried to stop Master's plans!" yelled O'Chunks.

"No, Dimentio made you think like that! Dimentio was Count Bleck's henchman and he betrayed him! Remember, O'Chunks! Try and remember!" Tippi encouraged him.

O'Chunks was about to attack her when he stopped and lowered his hand. For a moment, Tippi thought she saw a spark of realisation in his eyes.

"T-Tippi?" He said, shocked.

"Yes! You defeated him, O'Chunks! You did it!" squealed Tippi in happiness.

"I can't believe I ever let that Dimentio control me! He's going down!" shouted O'Chunks. "Sorry, lass. I can't believe I almost attacked you."

"It's alright, O'Chunks." smiled Tippi. "Now we just have to find Mimi, Nastasia and...B-Blumiere..."

"Don't worry, Tippi." reassured Peach. "We'll find all of them and work together to find The Pure Hearts and defeat Dimentio!"

"Ahahaha! How unfortunate, O'Chunks is a stronger fellow than I expected!" Dimentio appeared again. "Like a small schoolchild standing up to the bullies!"

They all turned around, seeing Dimentio standing there, smiling. His smile made them all shudder. It seemed to never go away. Even when he was defeated by Luigi six years ago, he still had that creepy grin on his face.

"Dimentio! Get over here right now! I have a score to settle with you!" growled Bowser, clenching his fists.

"O'Chunks, it seems like my magic isn't strong enough to control you. Hm, how unfortunate." Dimentio muttered, still smiling. "Well, it looks like I'll have to drain the power of one of The Pure Hearts to control you."

"What!? NO!" Cried Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Tippi and O'Chunks at the same time.

They all watched in sheer terror as Dimentio began mumbling some words to himself. Suddenly, an orange glow began to shine around him. Then The Orange Pure Heart appeared.

"Wait, I thought you said once you chose a spot to place The Pure Hearts you couldn't get them back again?" said Peach, confused.

"Well, I was reading The Light Prognosticus..." Dimentio began.

"So it WAS you who stole it!" growled Luigi.

"Of course! Without The Light Prognosticus, Merlon can't read it to find out information!" said Dimentio. "It's logical."

"Have you ever wondered why your name is 'Dimentio'?" muttered Bowser.

Dimentio scowled at Bowser. Well, they thought it was a scowl. He still had that creepy smile plastered on his face.

"Stop messing with The Pure Heart!" Tippi ordered. "We need it!"

"Oh, how desperate you are." smiled Dimentio. "Like a little dog begging for food."

"How many similes do you have?" muttered Bowser.

"Lots." replied Dimentio, holding up a long list which ran a mile.

They gasped when they noticed The Pure Heart slowly turning grey, along with the land around it.

"Oh No! If the power of The Pure Heart is sucked out, then all the life in this world will also be gone!" cried Peach. "We have to stop him!"

"Haha, silly Princess. It's too late-" He began when The Pure Heart was kicked out of his hand.

The Pure Heart shot up into the air, sailing over a large mountain. Dimentio muttered angrily and looked at O'Chunks fiercely.

"Take that!" He yelled. "That's what you-ACK!"

O'Chunks was lifted into the air and he screamed as purple smoke entered his body.

"O'Chunks!" cried Tippi. "Come on, O'Chunks! Fight him!"

"Shut it, you annoying bug!" Dimentio opened his clenched palm and aimed it at Tippi.

Purple lightning shot out, striking the poor butterfly. She went limp and slowly dropped to the ground. The lightning fizzled all over her body.

"Tippi!" cried Peach.

"Ahahaha! And she falls, like a petal from a flower in a storm!" laughed Dimentio. "O'Chunks, attack them!"

O'Chunks stopped shaking. His eyes had turned a dark purple colour, like Dimentio's clothes, and he looked a lot stronger.

"Yes, Master." O'Chunks walked towards them.

"Peach, take Tippi to safety!" Mario ordered. "Me, Luigi and Bowser will deal with O'Chunks."

"Okay..." Peach walked towards Tippi, when she turned around to look at him. "And Mario, be careful."

"I will." Nodded Mario, smiling.

Peach scooped Tippi into her arms and ran around a tree to hide. She peered around the corner nervously.

"P-Peach...I need to go back..." Tippi mumbled.

"No, you need to rest. Mario, Luigi and Bowser will deal with O'Chunks." Peach shook her head.

"Hm, I must go. I would love to watch the brawl between you and O'Chunks, but I must leave, like a small bird leaving its nest. I have some errands to complete." Dimentio said. "Ciao!"

He disappeared and the three looked up at O'Chunks. He ran towards them and leapt up into the air.

"Wait! I can use my powers to find his strengths and weaknesses!" Tippi said, when Peach shook her head.

"No, Tippi. You're staying here." Peach said.

Tippi sighed. Mario, Luigi and Bowser dived out of the way as he landed on the ground. The three fell over, unable to stay up with the ground rumbling. O'Chunks spun around and around, catching Bowser. He shot up into the air, flailing, while O'Chunks waited for him to come back down, his fists raised...

...

"AHH!" Count Bleck shot up, panting. "W-where am I?"

"Count! You're finally awake!" Mimi squealed happily, hugging him.

"Where are we?" Count Bleck asked again, wanting a firm answer.

"Dimentio kidnapped us and locked us in this jail cell, Count." Mimi explained. "After a couple of hours, Dimentio came in, took O'Chunks and Nastasia and left. But Nastasia was transported back a couple of minutes ago, unconscious, and I don't know why. I have a feeling something bad happened to O'Chunks..."

"What? We have to escape and save him!" Count Bleck sat up.

"We can't. Dimentio has hundreds of guards in this castle, and every door has a magic spell on them which makes them unable to be opened." Mimi sighed, shaking her head.

"Oh, right..." Count Bleck muttered.

"Ahahaha! You finally awaken, Blumiere." Dimentio once again appeared. "Would you like to see how O'Chunks is doing?"

"What have you done with him!?" Count Bleck yelled.

"Take a look." Dimentio smirked and clicked his fingers.

A dream bubble appeared, showing Bowser about to fall onto O'Chunks, who was grinning.

"What!? Why would O'Chunks do such a thing!?" Mimi cried, shocked.

"You hypnotised him, didn't you!?" Count Bleck growled.

"Yes, I did." Dimentio nodded. "I used my powers to do it. And soon I'm going to do it to you. Ciao!"

He disappeared. Count Bleck turned to Mimi.

"We've got to get out of here..." He whispered.

"But how?" asked Mimi.

"First we have to get out of this cell." Count Bleck said.

He ran towards it and kicked it, but it didn't open and he slammed against it, groaning. All of his magic had been taken away so he couldn't use it to open the door. Then Mimi rolled her eyes and walked towards the keyhole. A key was inside it and she turned it, the door opening.

"...Wow." Count Bleck said and the two left. "Oh, wait!"

He ran back inside, picked up Nastasia and left the room again. They walked through the corridor towards the exit. They quietly opened the creaking door and looked around. The room they were in was extremely dark, like Count Bleck's castle used to be. They used their hands to make their way along the corridor, when suddenly they heard voices coming from the other side of a door.

"Ack! This uniform is so tight and annoying!" Someone muttered.

"Shut it! The Boss will hear you! He hears everything, you know." Replied another voice harshly.

Mimi quietly opened the door and they walked through. The two guards saw them and pointed their spears at them.

"Stop right there! The Boss doesn't like visitors! State your business!" One of them yelled.

"Oh, um..." Count Bleck began, slowly turning to Mimi. "RUN!"

The guards ran for Mimi and Count Bleck. Mimi slid underneath the legs of one of them, bolting up a set of stairs.

"Mimi! Take her!" Count Bleck threw Nastasia and she sailed towards Mimi.

Mimi caught her, the weight of the the woman weighing the girl down. She continued to run up the stairs, but she was slower than before. The two guards cornered Count Bleck, their spears raised. Mimi glanced at him nervously, but he nodded and she turned and continued to run.

"Haha! We caught you now! We're taking you to The Boss!" Laughed one of the guards and they lead Count Bleck through a doorway, jabbing them with their spears.

Mimi panted and panted as she ran through a long, dark corridor, carrying Nastasia. Then a door opened, and a familiar figure walked through. They both looked at each other and gasped. It was Dimentio.

"Stay away from us, you...you monster!" Mimi cried.

"Mimi, it's you. I just got a call from one of my henchmen. He caught Count Bleck, who tried to escape, and it looks like you also tried to get away." Dimentio muttered, placing a hand on her shoulder to take her away, when he stopped.

He stared into her eyes. He never realised how beautiful they were. Mimi stared into his and thought the same.

"Um...yeah. Come with me right now." Dimentio said, grabbing her.

"Let go of me!" Mimi cried, pulling away.

She dropped Nastasia, falling backwards. She stumbled towards the stairs and Dimentio gasped, realising she was about to fall. As soon as she was about to fall Dimentio reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back. She gasped.

"T-thanks, Dimentio." She said, blushing.

"N-no problem." He said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Get in my office. I-I'll deal with you later."

Mimi looked at him and realised he was actually scowling for once. She slowly walked to the door, opened it, and picked up Nastasia. They both walked in and Dimentio closed the door and locked it. He walked off to deal with Count Bleck. While Mimi sat in the office, she then widened her eyes, realising something.

_She had a crush on Dimentio!_

...

O'Chunks punched Bowser and he slammed into a tree, groaning in pain as he slid down it.

"That O'Chunks is stronger than he used to be..." Bowser whispered.

Luigi leapt into the air and landed on O'Chunks' head, making him groan in pain and slump to the ground. However, in about thirty seconds he was up again, roaring in anger. He leapt into the air and landed on Luigi, crushing him. Peach and Tippi watched in terror as O'Chunks continued to injure Mario, Luigi and Bowser.

"Peach, we have to do something!" Tippi cried.

"I know, but what?" Peach asked.

Tippi turned around and spotted something. She grinned and looked at Peach.

"That." She said and Peach nodded, smiling.

Meanwhile, O'Chunks continued to hurt Mario, Luigi and Bowser while no damage was done to him.

"Mario, we're done for..." Whispered Luigi.

"GAH! I'M NOT GIVING UP!" Roared Bowser, running towards O'Chunks. "TAKE THIS!"

He breathed fire, scorching the Scottish man. O'Chunks screamed in pain and jumped out of the way, panting heavily.

"ACK!" He yelled. "Grrr...Yer going down!"

His face went red and he screamed in rage. Suddenly, red fire blasted out of his hands, hitting all three of them. They all collapsed to the ground, groaning in defeat. O'Chunks grinned.

"It looks like you're too weak for the Chunkinator!" He laughed.

"Hey, Chunky!" A voice came from behind him.

He turned around and spotted Peach standing there, Tippi fluttering by the side of her.

"Grrr...I almost forgot about you, Princess!" He growled. "Oh Well. You and that annoying bug will be the easiest."

"Excuse me?" Tippi said, offended. "Show him, Peach!"

"Right, Tippi!" Smiled the princess, and pulled something out of her pocket.

"Uh Oh..." Whispered O'Chunks.

Peach squeezed the star in her hand, and then she began flashing. Nobody could see her. Then the flashing light died down, and they all gasped, seeing Peach 50ft tall. O'Chunks turned and began to run off, but Peach caught him and and whacked him with her parasol multiple times.

"Go Peach!" Tippi cheered.

Peach continued to whack him until the power of the star ran out and she was normal-sized again. O'Chunks lay on the floor, panting. He stood up and glared at Peach.

"I..." He began when he stopped to catch his breath. "I...I let you win to test your strengths. Great job, Princess. But next time I'm going to win! Chunks away!"

"Wait, O'Chunks!" Tippi yelled, but he was gone. "We didn't have enough time to tell him about Dimentio and how he was using him..."

Peach walked over to Mario, Luigi and Bowser.

"Are you guys okay?" She asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm okay. Thanks, Princess!" Mario and Luigi smiled.

"Where's O'Chunks? I need to give him something." Bowser said and everybody looked at him, confused. "It's called pain!"

"We have to let O'Chunks go for now. We need to find The Pure Heart and get out of this world before it's destroyed." Tippi said.

"I agree with you, Tippi, but wasn't all of the power sucked out of it? It looked like a stone when O'Chunks kicked it out of Dimentio's hands and it went over the mountain." said Luigi.

"Merlon has stayed in touch with Queen Jaydes. Remember, the woman who helped return the power to the seventh Pure Heart?" Tippi reminded them. "Well, Merlon's created a portal which leads to The Underwhere, so when we get The Pure Heart we can go there and ask her to fix it."

"Oh, okay." Said Mario. "The Pure Heart went over the mountain, right?"

Everybody nodded.

"Then let's go!" Smiled Mario and the five began their long trek up the mountain, in search of The Pure Heart.

**...**

**I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I tried to fix the flaws as much as possible, and I hope the story is better now. Please leave a review, and the next chapter is coming soon! :D**


	3. King Rocko!

**Thanks to the three who reviewed! I really appreciate it! In this chapter the five heroes will go through a village on the mountain, but the villagers have a problem and the five decide to help, hoping to get some information on The Pure Heart on the way. Also, Mimi will be looking for a way to escape Dimentio's Castle with help from Nastasia. Also, a new enemy will be introduced in this chapter which I created. Enjoy!**

**...**

The five were currently walking up the rocky mountain, baking in the hot sun. Bowser panted, wiping his forehead.

"How much longer until we find the stupid Pure Heart?" He growled.

"Bowser, don't call it stupid. We need eight of them to save the world, and we already have the first one." Peach said, when she remembered something and glanced at the sky. "Woah...the void has grown a lot bigger."

Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Tippi turned to look at the sky and gasped. The huge, purple void was larger now, swirling as it sucked in rocks and trees.

"We need to hurry and find The Pure Heart..." Tippi whispered. "Dimentio has a lot more magic than Blumiere did..."

"I know." Nodded Luigi. "What if we don't do it in time?"

Everybody stopped talking for a moment and glanced nervously at each other, when Mario shook the thought out of his head.

"We will." He said.

"Well...okay..." Luigi said.

"Hey, a village is up ahead. Maybe we can get some supplies using the coins we got from enemies and also ask about The Pure Heart." Peach suggested and they all nodded.

They entered the village.

"It's a pretty strange place to put a village, isn't it?" Luigi said. "I mean, who had the idea to build a village on top of a mountain?"

"There was a village on top of a mountain six years ago when it was just me and Mario." Tippi said and Mario nodded.

"Yeah, I remember that." He smiled.

They looked around. The street was bustling. People ran about, closing shops and collecting supplies. Then the group noticed some people were actually stealing fruit and vegetables when the shopkeepers weren't looking.

"What's going on here?" Tippi asked to a person who was rushing past her.

"You better get inside! The Rocko Clan doesn't like it when we're out at this time of night. Come with me!" The person yelled and led the five into his house.

Once they were inside the person told them to sit down.

"I'm Saff." He smiled. "And you are?"

"I'm Tippi, and this is Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser and Luigi." Tippi introduced them. "Have you seen The Pure Heart?"

"The Pure Heart?" Saff tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Oh, you mean that heart-shaped rock that flew over the village a couple of hours ago, like it was shot from a cannon?"

"Yes, that's it!" Nodded Tippi. "Where did it go?"

"It disappeared over the mountain earlier." Saff said. "But aren't you going to help us?"

"Er..." Tippi looked at the others. "Um...Of course we will!"

"WHAT!?" Roared Bowser. "No way! I only came here to get that Pure Heart, nothing more!"

"Hey, there are voices coming from in here!" A voice came from outside and they all gasped.

The door opened and two creatures walked in. They were boulder-shaped, with two large eyes and a scowling mouth. In their hands they held spears, and they wore yellow boots.

"Those are the Rockoes..." Saff whispered.

"Come quietly and we won't harm you!" One of them said.

"Guys, I'll handle this. TAKE THIS!" Bowser roared, breathing fire.

However, it didn't affect them and they just laughed at him.

"Haha, that guy's funny. Now let's get him!" The first Rocko yelled.

The two cornered him and picked him up while Mario, Luigi, Peach, Tippi and Saff watched it all happen, frozen in shock.

"And if any of you try to stop us, we'll smash you!" Laughed the second one as they left the house, carrying Bowser.

"We have to save him!" Cried Peach.

"No, you can't." Saff sighed, shaking his head. "Once the Rockoes take someone, you can't get them back. Trust me, I know."

"What do you mean?" Asked Luigi.

"My family. My wife and my two daughters. They were kidnapped two years ago and I haven't seen them since..." Saff said and the others stayed silent, feeling really bad for him. "It was a sunny day. Me, my wife and my two daughters were outside, having a picnic, when the sky got darker. I said we should go inside, but my wife told me not to worry about it. Then they came..."

Everybody glanced at each other.

"The Rockoes came in hundreds. They picked up my wife and my daughters, and I tried to stop them, but they pushed me to the ground and left with my family. I've never heard of them since..." Said Saff.

"Oh my..." Peach gasped. "I'm so sorry about this."

"Thousands of villagers have been kidnapped over the years, but I've sticked to the rules, along with a few other villagers. Once it gets dark, you go inside, and you don't come back out until morning." Saff explained.

Tippi looked at the others and nodded. She fluttered over to him.

"Don't worry, Saff. We'll find the place where your wife and children are being held captive, and we'll rescue them, along with Bowser and any other villagers we can find." reassured Tippi.

"I'm not sure if you can..." Saff said.

"Come on, you're a father to two children! Don't you want to see them again?" Mario asked him.

"Of course I do, but..."

"Then it's settled. Me, Luigi, The Princess and Tippi will go to The Rockoes Base and rescue everybody who's being held captive there." Mario said. "Right, guys?"

"Of course." Smiled Peach and Tippi.

"Yeah!" Cheered Luigi.

"Thank you so much. I just wish I could repay you..." Saff sighed.

"Well, you can, actually." Tippi said and Saff looked at her. "We need to look for The Pure Heart so we can save all worlds, but we don't know where it is. While we're gone, can you gather together your friends and look for The Pure Heart?"

"Of course! Definitely!" Nodded Saff, smiling. "I'll tell everybody to go to The Town Square and tell them there."

"Good." Tippi said. "Well, I guess we should get going. Do you know where the base is?"

"At the far end of the village there's a bridge. Go across that and you'll see a hole in one of the rocks. Climb through that and you'll be in the base. Watch out, though, because King Rocko has hundreds of guards watching every corner." Saff warned. "Goodbye."

"Okay, thanks. Bye!" Smiled Peach and the four left the house.

They walked through the village, seeing nobody around. Stars were up in the sky, allowing them to see where they were going. They eventually reached the bridge and walked across, eventually making it to the hole in the wall. They climbed through, darkness filling their eyesight.

...

They climbed out of the hole again, finding themselves on a path. Torches lit their way, so they could easily walk again.

"Right, we have to find Bowser and Saff's Family and rescue them." Said Mario.

They continued walking when they were suddenly spotted by two Rockoes. They ran towards them, their spears raised.

"Attack!" Yelled the first one.

The first one jabbed their spear at Mario, but he jumped into the air and landed on it, making it break in half.

"Ha! Now your defenceless!" He laughed as he jumped into the air and kicked the Rocko, making him skid backwards, but not get injured.

The second ran leapt at Tippi, but she quickly flew out of reach, avoiding the sharp spear. The Rocko muttered to himself angrily and decided to go for Peach instead. He ran towards her and she screamed, quickly pulling out her parasol and opening it. The Rocko bounced off it, crashing into the other Rocko. Both of them lay on the ground, cartoon birds flying around their heads. Then they stood up and ran for Luigi.

"Mario! Help!" Luigi cried as the two Rockoes chased him.

Then he tripped over and the Rockoes stood over him, laughing. He closed his eyes tight and raised up his hands to defend himself.

"Quick, Princess, we have to do something!" Mario yelled and Peach nodded.

"Any last words?" The first Rocko asked Luigi.

"Look behind you." A voice said from behind him.

The first Rocko turned around and gasped. Mario kicked him and he zoomed backwards, slamming into the wall.

"Ugh..." He groaned, his body collapsing to the ground like a building.

When the smoke cleared there was nothing but a pile of rocks on the floor. The second one gasped.

"Oh No! Ricky!" Cried the second one. "Um...Heh Heh...I just remembered I booked a...holiday. So...I've got to go...yeah."

He turned to run away but Peach was too quick. She lifted him up using her parasol and hit him over to Mario, who finished him off. Just like Ricky, he also fell.

"Wow...these things are stronger than I thought...From now on we have to try and avoid them." Said Mario.

They continued walking along the path, looking out for any more Rockoes. They didn't see any and they opened a door, walking through.

...

They found themselves on some kind of balcony. They walked to the edge and looked down, seeing hundreds of Rockoes sitting in hundreds of chairs. The four gulped.

"If they see us we'll have a real problem..." whispered Luigi.

Then a door opened and a huge Rocko, around triple the size of a normal Rocko, entered the room. It wore a golden crown with five different coloured jewels embedded in it: red, blue, green, yellow and purple, and a yellow cape. He wore purple boots and held a golden staff with a huge red jewel embedded in the top of it. Like the other Rockoes, he had huge eyes and a large mouth. The Rockoes cheered when they saw him.

"Go King Rocko!"

"You're the best!"

"We'll crush the Sandoos!"

"Sandoos?" Peach said in confusion.

"That's the name of Saff's kind. The Sandoos." Tippi explained.

"Oh...right." Peach said, thinking it was such a strange name.

"Hahaha, calm down, now." Smiled King Rocko, but they didn't stop. "I SAID SHUT UP!"

The room went completely silent. King Rocko cleared his throat and continued.

"Thank you, my loyal followers, for attending this daily meeting. Today, we kidnapped even more Sandoos, along with a unique one." King Rocko said. "Apparently, it's a big, mutant dragon turtle who eats a lot. Bring him in!"

Five Rockoes carried Bowser in, who was kicking and screaming. The four gasped.

"It's Bowser!" Luigi said.

The four continued to watch from up on the balcony.

"I'M NOT FAT!" Roared Bowser.

"It's said that this...thing is worth a lot, so in a couple of hours we will be selling it to another village." Said King Rocko.

All five of them, including Bowser, gasped in shock and terror. The Rockoes cheered in happiness and began yelling out compliments to King Rocko again.

"Yes, we will finally have enough money to build the machines we need to take over the Sandoos!" Yelled King Rocko, jabbing Bowser with his staff.

"Hey, buddy! Don't do that!" Roared Bowser, picking up King Rocko and throwing him into the other Rockoes.

"Ack! SEIZE HIM!" Ordered King Rocko as the other Rockoes helped him get to his feet.

The five Rockoes who carried him into the room picked him up again and took him out of the room, with three Rockoes following behind with their spears, making sure he didn't escape. King Rocko walked back onto the stage dizzily, looking at his subjects.

"This meeting is over." He said. "You may return to your positions."

Everybody left the large hall, including King Rocko. The four stood up and left the balcony, entering the corridor once again.

"We have to save Bowser and we only have a couple of hours to do it!" Cried Peach. "We need to hurry and find King Rocko's throne room!"

"Where should we look?" Asked Luigi.

Then they heard voices and the echoing of feet coming from the left.

"I think that's your answer right there." Said Tippi and the four sped off to the right.

...

Mimi sat in Dimentio's office, waiting for Nastasia to wake up. She had decided what she was going to do. She was going to wait for Nastasia to wake up, then she was going to look for a way to get out of Dimentio's office. When she had done that she was going to sneak down to the dungeons with Nastasia and rescue Count Bleck. Then all three of them would find a way out of the castle and tell Mario and his friends some helpful information about Dimentio, The Pure Hearts, his castle or anything else that could be useful. Then Mimi saw Nastasia slowly opening her eyes.

"Nastasia?" Mimi said.

"Mimi? Is that you?" She asked quietly, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes, it's me." Mimi smiled.

"What happened?" asked Nastasia.

"Basically, Dimentio stole The Pure Hearts and The Chaos Heart and kidnapped me, you, O'Chunks and The Count. Then me and The Count tried to escape, but you were still unconscious, so The Count carried you. Then two guards spotted us. I escaped with you, but Count Bleck was caught and was sent back to the dungeons. Then Dimentio spotted me and you, and I dropped you when I tried to escape. You were fine, but I almost fell down the stairs. But Dimentio...he saved me..." Mimi explained. "Then he locked us in his office and here we are."

"The Count was sent back to the dungeons? We have to save him!" cried Nastasia and ran to the door, tugging at the handle.

It didn't open. She tried harder, but it still didn't open.

"It's pointless, Nassy." sighed Mimi. "Dimentio locked the door when he went to see The Count."

"Well, there has to be a spare key somewhere, right?" Nastasia said, checking the drawers.

"You're right. Let's look." Mimi stood up. "It's too bad there are no windows. We could have smashed them and escaped."

Nastasia was checking the drawers. She saw nothing but sheets and sheets of similes and magic spells. There was also a key at the bottom, but all it did was open another drawer which was filled with the same things.

"Nothing here." She sighed.

Mimi was checking behind tables and underneath chairs, but she also found nothing useful.

"We need to get out of here so we can save The Count!" Mimi cried.

"Maybe we can try breaking down the door?" suggested Nastasia.

"It's a good idea, Nassy, but I don't think we're strong enough. We need somebody like O'Chunks. He's the only one who can break down doors." Mimi said.

"Well, we can try." Nastasia said.

"...Alright then. We'll work together." Mimi said and they both walked towards the door.

"One..." Nastasia said.

"Two..." Mimi said.

"Three!" They both yelled at once, running towards the door.

They smashed into it, not even making a dent to it. They fell backwards dizzily.

"Oh, I forgot. It's a pull door." Mimi chuckled nervously when Nastasia glared at her.

Nastasia tried to open the door but it didn't even budge.

"Nope." She sighed.

Then the door opened and Dimentio stepped through.

"Ahahaha! I could hear noises coming from my office, so I came up here to see what it was. It's pointless trying to escape, you know. You never will." He said.

"Dimentio..." Whispered Mimi.

"What have you done to The Count!?" Nastasia yelled.

"Oh, don't worry, Nastasia. He's fine, but he won't be for long." Dimentio laughed.

"Wait...what does that mean?" Nastasia asked.

"Nothing, nothing." Dimentio said. "Well, I have to go and deal with O'Chunks. He lost against the heroes and I need to punish him."

"No, wait!" Mimi was about to say something when she realised what she was doing. "Um...it's nothing."

Dimentio left the room, locking the door. Nastasia turned to Mimi.

"What was that?" She scowled.

"I don't know." Mimi sighed. "I really don't know..."

**...**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! In the next chapter, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Tippi will attempt to save Bowser. Please leave a review and the next chapter is coming soon!**


	4. The Base!

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed! In this chapter, Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi will try to save Bowser, and back at the castle Dimentio will visit Count Bleck in the dungeons and they will have a conversation. Enjoy!**

**...**

The large, rusty metal gate slowly opened, grinding against the floor. Dimentio walked inside, shivering. Why did he make the dungeon so gloomy? He shook the thought out of his head and continued walking. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop thinking about Mimi. He was evil, and he hated everybody. He didn't care about anyone. But he had realised lately that he didn't want to destroy Mimi. He realised he actually had...feelings for her.

"Wait, what am I talking about!?" He muttered, shaking his head. "I don't care about Mimi! I'm Dimentio, destroyer of all worlds! I can't believe I'm allowing that girl to enter my mind!"

He continued walking until he found the cell he was looking for. With a mischievous look in his eyes, he pulled out a key and inserted it in the lock, twisting it. Flakes of rust fell from the lock and landed on the floor. Dimentio pulled open the door and entered the cell.

"Hello, Blumiere." said The Jester. "How are you?"

Count Bleck, who was sitting on a metal bench, looked up and scowled. He stood up, his cape being blown up into the air before the tips of it rested on the ground again.

"What do you want?" He muttered. "Where are Mimi and Nastasia? What have you done with them!?"

"Calm down. Both of them are fine...for now." Smirked Dimentio.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Count Bleck narrowed his eyes, getting angrier and angrier.

"Nothing, nothing." Dimentio said with the same smile on his face.

"Dimentio, why do you want to destroy all worlds? You do know that if you destroy every world you'll be destroyed too, right?" Count Bleck pointed out.

"Of course I do, you idiotic fool. I want revenge. On you, your henchmen, and those pathetic heroes. You all stopped me from achieving my master plan, and this time nobody is going to stop me." Dimentio said.

"You're wrong, Dimentio. The heroes will collect The Pure Hearts and defeat you once and for all." Scowled Count Bleck.

"I doubt that, Blumiere. The heroes can't stop me. They are tiny compared to me, like a worm and a bird. The bigger one will always win." Dimentio said.

"I thought the same thing when I stole The Pure Hearts, but the heroes still defeated me." Count Bleck said.

"Yes, they did, but that's because you're pathetic, Blumiere. You were too focused on Timpani to concentrate on defeating the heroes." Dimentio muttered.

"Don't talk about Timpani." Count Bleck said angrily.

"Or what? You'll attack me? You can't, Blumiere. I used the power of The Chaos Heart to make me invincible." Dimentio laughed.

"You won't be invincible for long, Dimentio. The heroes will collect every Pure Heart and destroy your shield." Count Bleck said.

"Oh, alright then. Everything that happened to you will happen to me, will it? No, it won't. And do you want to know why?" Dimentio said, making Count Bleck scowl. "I'm not wasting every second of my time thinking about my love life. Oh No! Timpani hasn't returned! I'm going to destroy all worlds just because I can't find my girlfriend! Oh Dear! Pathetic!"

"Dimentio, I know you're not fully concentrated either." Count Bleck said. "Why do you look so distracted?"

"Be quiet!" Snapped Dimentio. "You're only saying that to make me nervous!"

"Yeah, right." Count Bleck rolled his eyes. "Can I leave now?"

"Excuse me?" Dimentio said, not believing what he heard.

"Can I leave now?" Count Bleck repeated.

"You idiot! You're going to stay here until I brainwash you, like a..." Dimentio couldn't think of a simile.

He pulled out a list and began reading it.

"Stay with me, stay with me..." Dimentio said as he looked for an appropriate simile. "...Like an umbrella with holes."

"What?" Count Bleck said, confused. "That doesn't even make sense!"

"I'm running out, alright!?" Dimentio cried. "Give me a break! Like a schoolchild being shouted at by his teacher!"

"Whatever. I'm not just going to sit here and wait for you to brainwash me. I'm going to escape with Mimi and Nastasia." Count Bleck said, when he sighed. "It's too late for O'Chunks..."

"Yes it is, and you better say goodbye to Mimi as well." He said.

_I need to get rid of her as soon as possible. I can't let that girl get in the way of my plans._ He thought to himself.

"You better not hurt her!" Count Bleck yelled.

"If I have to, I will." Dimentio said, turning around. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Blumiere. But now I must leave, like a leaf dropping off the tree in Autumn."

"No, get back here!" Cried Count Bleck, but he was gone. "Great..."

He walked towards the bars and began shaking them, but as he expected, nobody came to his rescue. He tried using his magic, but then he remembered Dimentio had used a magic spell to take it away. Then he realised something and clicked his fingers!

_Magic spells!_

...

Mario, Peach, Luigi and Tippi continued to look around for the throne room, but found nothing.

"We've been looking for an hour and we haven't even found any clues to where Bowser is!" Peach cried.

"Maybe there's a secret room or something?" Suggested Luigi.

They walked down a set of stairs, hoping to find Bowser or Saff's Family. But when they made it to the bottom there was nothing there.

"What? This base is stupid! There's barely anything in it!" Luigi muttered.

"Well, we better head back up." Mario said and they began walking up the stairs.

Suddenly the stairs turned into a slide and Mario, Luigi and Peach slid down it, Tippi following, concerned. They made it to the bottom and looked up angrily. They saw King Rocko standing on a balcony, looking down on them. Two Rockoes stood to the side of him with their spears. He raised his arms into the air, laughing.

"Haha, do you really think I could be so stupid!?" He laughed. "I knew you were here all along! And now I have trapped you! Don't even bother to get your friend back. He's already in the truck and he's about to be taken away!"

"No!" Cried Tippi.

"Where's the Chief? Chief! CHIEF!" Roared King Rocko.

Another Rocko, about half the size of King Rocko, ran onto the balcony, panting. He put down his spear and placed his hand on his forehead as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up at King Rocko.

"Yes, Boss?" Chief Rocko asked.

"Watch these prisoners while I drive the truck to the Tandoo Village." King Rocko ordered.

"Tandoo..." Whispered Tippi. "The village Saff lives in is the Sandoo village..."

Then she realised. The villages are in alphabetical order.

"Of course, Boss." Chief Rocko nodded.

"Good. I'll see you later." King Rocko said, leaving the balcony with the other two Rockoes.

"Great. We're doomed." Muttered Luigi. "We're never gonna Bowser back, and we're stuck here."

"Don't say that, Luigi. We've made it out of worse situations." Mario said, looking up at Chief Rocko. "Maybe one of us can distract Chief Rocko while the rest of us climb up onto the balcony."

"Yeah, but who?" Tippi asked.

Then they all looked at Peach.

"What?" She said in confusion, wondering why everybody was staring at her.

...

"Hey, handsome." Peach winked at Chief Rocko.

Chief Rocko stopped watching Mario, Luigi and Tippi and glanced at her for a moment. Well, it wasn't just a moment. He continued to stare at her.

"What do you want?" He scowled.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to you." Peach said, smiling.

"Y-you did?" Chief Rocko said, trying to stay focused.

"Of course!" Peach nodded.

While Peach was distracting the Chief, Mario and Luigi tried to climb up the rock wall, but it was extremely difficult.

"Come on, guys! Think about Bowser! Think about Saff! Think about the world!" Tippi encouraged them.

"Tippi's right, Luigi. If we don't do this then Dimentio will destroy all worlds!" Mario said.

They continued to climb up the slippery wall. Meanwhile, Peach continued to flirt with the Chief, even though she hated doing it.

"Ugh, will they hurry up already?" She muttered.

"What did you say?" Asked Chief Rocko.

"Oh, nothing. So what's your name?" Peach smiled at him.

"Randy." He replied. "Randy Rocko."

"Are all of you in the same family?" Questioned Peach.

"No. Why do you ask that?"

"It's just every Rocko's last name happens to be Rocko." Peach said.

"Yeah, it's really strange. So, what's your name?" Randy asked.

"Peach. Princess Peach." smiled Peach.

"Wow, you're a princess? Sweet!" cheered Randy, when he stopped and cleared his throat. "Ahem. You're a princess? Which Kingdom do you rule?"

"It's called The Mushroom Kingdom. I came here to...visit different worlds. I wanted to see King Rocko, but he called me an intruder..." Peach sighed.

"Oh...right." Chief Rocko said, starting to feel guilty.

Then Peach realised that she may as well try to obtain some information on The Pure Heart.

"Have you heard of something called The Pure Heart?" The Princess asked.

"The...Pure...Heart?" Chief Rocko said, starting to get nervous.

"Yes. It's a heart-shaped stone." Peach continued.

"Yes, I-" Then he stopped. "Um...I mean...nothing."

"Um...okay?" Peach said, confused.

"...Okay, you broke me! I found it on the floor outside the base and I took it in for King Rocko. Then he sold it to the Tandoos!" Chief Rocko explained. "I would give it to you as a gift if I could!"

"Well, you could help me get it back..."

"How?"

"You can let me out of here."

"I'm not sure if I can do that..."

"But you said-"

"Alright, fine! I'll let you out!" Chief Rocko muttered. "But I'm only letting you escape! Don't tell The King!"

"Of course I won't!" Peach said. "You can trust me."

"I'll go get a ladder." Chief Rocko said, turning and walking off.

Mario, Luigi and Tippi watched him leave, and when he was out of sight they stood up and rushed to the end of the balcony, looking down.

"Peach!" Tippi yelled.

"Guys, hurry! He'll be back soon!" Peach said, getting nervous.

"Don't worry, we'll be quick." Mario reassured her.

Luigi stood on the balcony. Then he jumped off. Mario quickly grabbed his legs, stopping him from falling.

"Come on, Princess! Grab hold!" Said Luigi.

Peach grabbed Luigi's hands firmly and Mario began pulling them up. Peach tried her hardest to hold onto Luigi, but it was extremely difficult. Then Chief Rocko walked back onto the balcony.

"Hey Princess, I got you a-" He stopped, staring at Mario.

Tippi gasped. Chief Rocko ran towards Mario.

"Hurry, Mario!" Peach cried.

Chief Rocko was about to stab Mario with his spear but Tippi got in his way and messed up his aim, making the spear fall over the balcony walls and land in the dungeon-like room that Peach was being helped out of. Chief Rocko punched Tippi, making her zoom backwards and hit the wall. Then he hit Mario, making the plumber turn around in shock, dropping Luigi and Peach. They landed on the floor, groaning in pain.

Chief Rocko attempted to push Mario over the balcony walls but he dodged the attack, punching him in the face. Chief Rocko staggered backwards dizzily. Then Mario jumped into the air and landed on him, making Chief Rocko cry out in pain. Thinking he was defeated, Mario turned around, but Chief Rocko wasn't done yet. He grabbed Mario and pushed him, making Mario tumble into the wall. Then Chief Rocko pulled out another spear.

"I keep an extra one, just in case." He grinned, getting ready to attack the plumber.

Luigi was watching all this happen and clenched his fists angrily. He couldn't watch his brother get killed without doing anything! He turned around, looking for something to attack Chief Rocko with. Then he spotted the spear that had fallen into the room.

"Peach, give me a boost!" He ordered, holding the spear firmly in his hand.

"Luigi, what are you going to do!?" The Princess cried.

"Just do it!"

Peach sighed and crouched down. Luigi climbed onto her back and jumped into the air. He landed on the balcony wall, spotting Mario and Chief Rocko.

"I'm going to get a raise after this!" Chief Rocko laughed, lifting up his spear.

Mario squeezed his eyes shut in fear.

"Take this!" Luigi cried, leaping from the balcony wall and hitting Chief Rocko with the blunt end of the spear.

Chief Rocko stumbled backwards. Luigi landed in front of Mario, scowling. The red plumber slowly opened his eyes and gasped.

"L-Luigi?"

"Don't worry, Mario. I'll handle this." Said Luigi and jumped towards Chief Rocko.

Luigi was about to attack Chief Rocko again, when he slammed into the wall right next to him. Mario face-palmed. Chief Rocko laughed and kicked Luigi away. Mario picked up the other spear and hit Chief Rocko with it. Chief Rocko backed away for a moment before attacking Mario with his spear. That's when Tippi woke up.

"W-what's going on?" She asked to nobody in particular, fluttering upwards to see better.

She gasped. Luigi was unconscious, Peach was still trapped in the dungeon-like room, and Mario and Chief Rocko were fighting each other.

"I have to do something..." Tippi whispered.

She glanced upwards, noticing something.

"Give it up, plumber!" Chief Rocko roared as he deflected Mario's attacks. "I've already defeated the guy in green and the wretched bug!"

"Wretched?"

Both Mario and Chief Rocko looked up. Tippi was fluttering next to the big chandelier.

"Nobody calls me wretched."

Tippi used her wings to slice the rope that was holding the chandelier up. Mario and Chief Rocko screamed in terror.

"Run, Mario!" Tippi yelled.

Mario quickly dived out of the way, but Chief Rocko didn't get out of the way in time.

**CRASH!**

The chandelier landed on the balcony, glass flying everywhere. Mario picked up Luigi and leapt over the balcony walls to avoid the glass, landing next to Peach. Tippi flew out of the way. Chief Rocko was nowhere to be seen. Then, one lonely rock rolled out from underneath the chandelier.

"He's gone, guys." Tippi said.

Mario and Luigi climbed up the wall again, helping Peach up.

"Phew, that took quite a long time..." Peach said, when she suddenly looked up. "Bowser!"

The four ran through the door, entering the long corridor once again. Then they ran through it, looking for Bowser, hoping he hadn't been taken to the Tandoos yet. That's when Peach remembered something.

"Guys! I almost forgot to tell you something!" Peach panted as they ran. "Chief Rocko told me something about The Pure Heart!"

"Really? What?" Tippi asked.

"He said King Rocko sold it to the Tandoos!" Peach said.

"Oh No! We have to get it back!" Luigi cried.

"But how?" Mario asked.

"Maybe we can sneak onto one of the trucks and drive over to the Tandoos?" Luigi suggested.

"That's a good idea, Luigi." Nodded Mario. "But first we have to rescue Bowser, Saff's Family, and any other Sandoos we can find."

They ran and ran, but didn't find the dungeon or King Rocko's throne room. They passed many Rockoes on the way, but they managed to avoid them and continue running. After running for about ten minutes, they eventually came across a staircase leading upwards that none of them had seen before. They dashed up the staircase, hoping it would lead to the dungeon. They opened a door and ran inside, gasping in shock. Hundreds of Sandoos were in the room, chains attached to their legs and arms. Most of them looked battered and bruised. Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi looked around, feeling sorry for all of them.

"You guys look for Saff's Family. Bowser obviously isn't here." Sighed Peach. "I'll try and get some information on where Bowser is."

The other three nodded and walked off. Peach walked towards a man who looked extremely hungry.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"H-have you c-come to s-save us?" The man asked, shivering.

"Yes, we have. I'll try and get these chains off you." Peach said and began fiddling with the chains. "So, have you seen a big turtle recently?"

"A big turtle? Yes, I have. Eight Rockoes came in and took him away about twenty minutes ago." The man said.

Peach gasped in shock. The chains dropped off the man.

"Thank you." She said and ran off.

She ran over to Mario, Luigi and Tippi.

"Guys! Guys! I found-" She stopped, seeing an extremely thin woman sitting on the ground with two children sitting beside her. "Is that..."

"Saff's family." Tippi nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here." Luigi smiled.

"Thank you..." Whispered the woman weakly.

Peach helped the woman while Mario and Luigi helped the children. Soon all three of them were free.

"Let's help the others." Tippi said.

After about fifteen minutes every single one of the Sandoos were free.

"Follow us." Mario said and they all ran out of the room and down the staircase.

They ran through a corridor, staying in the shadows so none of the Rockoes would see them. They made it to the hole and crawled through it. They climbed up the tunnel, seeing the sky at the end of it.

"We're almost there." Tippi said.

They all crawled out of the hole and across the bridge. Suddenly, they heard a noise. It sounded like somebody was cutting something. They glanced at the end of the bridge and gasped. Two Rockoes were at the end of it, laughing. Both of them were cutting the ropes that were attached to the bridge.

"Run! Run!" Mario cried and all of them dashed across the bridge.

The ropes got thinner and thinner. The group, along with the Sandoos, continued running. Then the ropes snapped and the bridge fell. All of them tumbled towards the sharp rocks below. Mario knew this was the end. He had failed. Dimentio would use the power of The Pure Hearts and The Chaos Heart to destroy all worlds, and nobody would survive. His brother would die. The Princess would die. Bowser and Tippi would die. Merlon would die. The Sandoos would die. He would die. Everybody in The Mushroom-

He stopped moving. He slowly opened his eyes. He was floating in mid-air. At first he didn't know what was going on, but then he looked up. He was clutching onto Luigi's legs. Confused, he also looked down. The Princess was below him, holding onto his legs. A Sandoo was holding onto her legs, and so on. Then Mario realised what had happened. Somebody had grabbed hold of the cliff, and then somebody else grabbed hold of them, and then somebody else grabbed hold of them, and so on, until they were all holding onto each other. The Sandoo at the bottom of the line was only an inch above the razor-sharp rocks.

"Phew, that was close." The Sandoo wiped his forehead.

"Can somebody pull us up?" Asked another Sandoo, and soon everybody was talking.

"SHUT UP!" An elderly Sandoo yelled, making everybody stop making noise. "Look, we're THIS close to being impaled by spikes. Will everybody just be quiet and wait until the person at the top pulls us up!?"

Everybody nodded, embarrassed.

"Thank you." Muttered the Sandoo.

Mario looked to see who was at the top of the line. It was Luigi. He was sweating and his fingers were slowly slipping.

"Come on, Luigi! You can do it!" Mario yelled.

Luigi desperately tried to pull himself up, but it was no use. He sighed as his fingers slipped and he fell.

But he didn't fall. Just like Mario, he opened his eyes and looked up. Saff was standing there, clutching his hand.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" He said, trying his hardest to pull them up. "I need help!"

Then something terrible happened. A Rocko was standing behind Saff. Luigi noticed it and gasped.

"Saff! Saff!" He tried to warn him, but it was too late.

The Rocko pushed Saff. He stumbled forward, flipping over the cliff edge. Everybody screamed as they all began falling again. Then somebody grabbed Saff's collar and pulled him back, making him choke. He landed on the floor, coughing. He stood up and turned around, seeing hundreds of Sandoos pulling everybody up. Soon all of them were up.

"Let's get out of here." Whispered a Rocko to the other one.

They both turned and began quietly walking away, but Mario spotted them.

"Let's get them!" He roared and everybody picked up the Rockoes and threw them off the cliff.

The Rockoes screamed as they hit the ground, smashing into pieces. Everybody turned around and walked off.

Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi walked towards Saff's house and smiled. Saff was standing outside, hugging his wife and daughters.

"I thought I was never going to see you again!" He cried as he hugged his wife.

"Me neither!" His wife smiled.

Mario, Luigi and Peach walked up to Saff with Tippi fluttering next to them. Saff looked at them and smiled.

"Thanks so much." He said. "I'm sorry I couldn't find any information on The Pure Heart for you."

"Don't worry." Peach smiled. "We got some information while we were in King Rocko's base."

"Hey, isn't that King Rocko over there?" Saff's wife pointed to the end of the village.

Just like she said, King Rocko was standing by five trucks at the end of the town. He was ordering his henchmen to haul crates onto the back of the trucks. They noticed that some of them were filled with Sandoos, but there was one crate that stood out from the rest.

"What IS that?" Saff's wife asked, confused.

"EEEK! IT'S A MONSTER!" One of the daughters turned around and attempted to run away, but she accidentally slammed into the other one and they both dizzily fell to the ground.

Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi gasped.

"Bowser!" Peach cried.

She was right. The turtle was crammed into a crate all on his own. He was sitting down, muttering angrily to himself.

"Okay, we're all set, Boss. We'll see you later!" A Rocko got inside the van Bowser was in and drove off, the other four vans following.

"Come on, guys! We have to catch up!" Peach cried.

"Bye, Saff!" Smiled Tippi as she followed Mario, Luigi and Peach.

Saff waved goodbye and went inside his house, his wife and daughters close behind.

The four vans drove up the mountain. Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi followed them, leaving The Sandoo Village behind.

**...**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This chapter was longer than the other ones. Next chapter will have the group enter the Tandoo Village and find the two things they've wanted most. Can you guess what? Also, Mimi and Nastasia will try and use the magic spells in the drawers to escape Dimentio's Castle.**


	5. Merlain!

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Enjoy!**

**...**

King Rocko was in the first truck, leading the other trucks to The Tandoo Village. Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi ran after them, trying to catch up so they could get onto one of the trucks.

"I'm so tired!" Peach panted, lifting up her dress so it wouldn't get muddy.

"Come on! We have to get onto one of the trucks!" Mario cried.

The Rocko in the last truck turned around, spotting the group. He picked up his walky-talky and spoke into it.

"King, there are two plumbers, a princess and a butterfly chasing after us. I'll try and slow them down." He said.

He grinned and reached into a bag next to him, pulling out a bomb. He threw it at the group and they screamed in terror, diving out of the way. The bomb exploded, sending chunks of land up into the air. He threw another one at them but Mario grabbed it. The Rocko gulped.

"Um...This is bad..." He said into his walky-talky. "I need help right now. I repeat, right now!"

Mario threw the bomb at the truck and it exploded. The truck shot up into the air, The Rocko falling out. Crates also opened and Sandoos fell out, screaming, but Mario, Luigi and Peach caught them. The Rocko landed on the floor, cracking in half.

"Get back to your village." Mario ordered and The Sandoos nodded, running off.

They got into the truck and drove after the other trucks, leaving The Rocko behind. They drove up the mountain and down the other side. About halfway down, they gasped. There were houses everywhere. Hundreds of shops blanketed the area. There was a sea of people walking around. When they passed them the people stepped out of the way, letting them pass.

"Woah...This place is huge..." Luigi whispered.

The trucks parked outside the town square, where hundreds of people stood.

"This must be The Tandoo Village." Tippi said.

A Tandoo walked onto the platform with a microphone.

"Greetings, Tandoos!" He smiled and the Tandoos cheered. "I will be hosting the monthly auction! My name is Tacky Dealer!"

"That's an odd name..." Tippi said, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Remember to bid if you want the merchandise that's up for sale!" Tacky Dealer smiled. "And even if you don't want it, bid anyway, or you will be sent to the dungeon!"

Everybody gasped.

"Our first item is coming in!" Tacky Dealer smiled. "Oooh! A servant who says he might murder you if you don't pay him enough! Any bids?"

Nobody answered. Tacky Dealer turned to the guards, narrowing his eyes.

"SEND ALL OF THEM TO THE DUNGEON!" He roared.

Then everybody raised up their paddles, yelling out prices. Mario, Luigi and Peach didn't have any and they looked around nervously, trying to find some.

"I'll go get some." Tippi flew off.

"100 coins...200 coins...300 coins..." Tacky Dealer grinned. "4000 coins..."

"Wait, what!? I bid for 400 coins!" A Tandoo yelled.

"OFF TO THE DUNGEON WITH YOU!" Tacky Dealer shrieked and two guards took the Tandoo away. "8000 coins...Hey, that one put his paddle down! Off to the dungeon!"

The crowd kept their paddles in the air.

"12,000 coins...100,000 coins...600,000 coins..." Tacky Dealer said. "1,000,000 coins...Sold to the guy who looks like he needs the servant!"

"But I don't have enough money!" The man cried.

"Then why did you bid?" Tacky Dealer raised his eyebrow.

"Because I had to! Please, I need to provide for my family!" The man pleaded.

"Too bad! If you didn't want to bid then you shouldn't have! OFF TO THE DUNGEON!" Tacky Dealer screamed. "Oh, and I'm taking the 1,000,000 coins too..."

Two guards came in and took the man away, kicking and screaming. Then Tacky Dealer used his hammer to smack the servant. He then pulled out a black bag and put him in. The audience stared at him in shock.

"What? Just because I'm a multi-millionaire it doesn't mean I can't have another servant!" Tacky Dealer muttered. "People these days..."

Tippi came back with three paddles and handed them to Mario, Luigi and Peach.

"Next up is...this thing." Tacky Dealer face-palmed as five Rockoes walked onto the platform holding a large turtle.

"Bowser!" Peach gasped.

"Any bids?" Tacky Dealer asked. "I won't send you to the dungeon if you don't put your paddle up this time, I honestly can't blame you."

"HEY!" Bowser roared.

Mario, Luigi and Peach immediately raised up their paddles. Nobody else did except somebody in a black cloak.

"50 coins..." Tacky Dealer said, nodding at Luigi.

"100 coins..." He said to the cloaked man.

"150 coins..." He said to Mario.

"200 coins..." He said to the cloaked man.

"250 coins..." He said to Peach.

"300 coins..." He said to the cloaked man. "What's wrong with you guys!?"

Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi wondered why the cloaked man wanted Bowser so much. But they weren't going to give up now. They were so close to saving Bowser, and they weren't going to let somebody take him.

"350 coins..."

"400 coins..."

"500 coins..."

"600 coins..."

"700 coins..."

"800 coins..."

The cloaked man glared at Mario, Luigi and Peach and raised up his paddle again.

"1,000,000,000 coins!" He screamed. "One billion coins!"

Mario, Luigi and Peach glanced at the cloaked man then looked at each other nervously.

"Going once..."

Peach was about to raise her paddle when she stopped.

"Going twice..."

The cloaked man folded his arms, smirking smugly. Then Luigi lifted up his paddle.

"Two billion!"

"Three billion!"

"Four billion!"

"Five billion!"

Both of them were reaching their limits.

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

"Ten!" Luigi cried.

The cloaked man stopped. He threw his paddle to the ground and stepped on it, breaking it in half.

"I'll get you back..." He whispered, turning and walking down a dark alleyway.

"Sold to the guy in green!" Tacky Dealer yelled.

...

The cloaked man walked down the alleyway until he met somebody else. He wore a purple jester outfit and had a creepy smile plastered on his face.

"Ahahaha-Wait, where's the third hero?" Dimentio asked.

"I didn't get him. These three freaks wanted him more." The cloaked man shook his head.

"But you're a billionaire! You can do anything! Like a...okay, I'm out." Dimentio muttered. "I think I should get started on metaphors..."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want to waste any of my money." The cloaked man said.

"That's not good enough, Billionaro." Dimentio muttered.

The cloaked man pulled off his cape. He wore a black top hat and a black suit. He held a cane in his left hand and a big bag of money in his right hand.

"I know, I'm sorry. Next time I'll do better." Billionaro said.

"Fine. Go back to the castle and see if Mimi is alright-" Dimentio stopped. "Er...I mean...Make sure Mimi and Nastasia haven't escaped."

"Of course, boss." Billionaro said and disappeared.

Dimentio also disappeared.

...

"Great job, Luigi!" Peach smiled.

Tacky Dealer was about to give Bowser to Luigi when King Rocko ran onto the platform. Mario, Luigi, Peach and Tippi gulped.

"Aha!" King Rocko grabbed Bowser. "You're coming with me!"

"WHAT!? NO I'M NOT!" Bowser roared, breathing fire.

Tacky Dealer and The Tandoos ran off, screaming. However, just like the other Rockoes, the fire didn't affect him. He laughed, looking at Bowser as if he was an idiot.

"That's not going to hurt me!" He muttered.

He took off his crown and threw it at Bowser. It spun around and around, but Bowser managed to duck. The crown sliced off one of the spikes on his shell and it landed on the floor. The crown shot back like a boomerang, hitting King Rocko in the face. He stumbled backwards dizzily, falling off the stage. He landed on some chairs, making them smash.

"Bowser!" Mario yelled and the four ran onto the platform. "Are you okay?"

"Where were you!?" He growled angrily.

"When you were in The Rocko Base we were watching you from up on the balcony and then we saw you being thrown into a truck and we followed you all the way here!" Peach cried.

"Well...You didn't do it fast enough!" Bowser snapped.

"Ugh...My head..." King Rocko groaned, standing up. "Hey! Get back here!"

He jumped onto the platform and used his hands to form rocks. Then he threw them at Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and Tippi, hoping to bowl them over, but they leapt over them.

"Grrr!" King Rocko turned into a rock himself and rolled towards Mario, squashing him.

Mario stumbled off the platform, unconscious. Luigi gasped. Peach gasped. Tippi gasped. Bowser laughed.

"Hahaha! He TOTALLY deserved that!" He laughed.

Peach pulled out her parasol and jumped into the air, hoping to land on King Rocko's head. However, King Rocko saw her and quickly created a rock, throwing it at her. The rock slammed into Peach and she fell off the platform, crying out in pain.

"Hahaha! You guys are pathetic!" King Rocko yelled.

"No, YOU'RE pathetic!" Luigi jumped towards King Rocko but he simply slapped him out of the way and he fell off the platform, unconscious.

"HEY! TAKE THIS!" Bowser jumped into the air and landed on King Rocko, crushing him.

King Rocko did the same to him, and both of them were extremely tired. Bowser tried to attack King Rocko again but he dodged, sending Bowser into a bunch of chairs.

"Hmmm...I don't think you're trying hard enough. What a shame. It looks like you don't want this then..." King Rocko smirked, holding up a heart-shaped stone.

Tippi gasped.

"The Pure Heart!" She cried.

She looked around. She was the only one who was still awake. She knew she had to do something. She flew towards King Rocko as fast as she could and picked up The Pure Heart. The Pure Heart was huge compared to her, and she almost collapsed with the weight of it.

"Hey! Get back here!" King Rocko roared. "Rockoes! SEIZE HER!"

Tippi gasped as five Rockoes surrounded her. She clutched The Pure Heart, backing away from them. She glanced at Mario.

"Please, Mario..." She pleaded silently. "Please wake up..."

She attempted to fly upwards but a Rocko grabbed her, taking The Pure Heart. He handed it to King Rocko, who started laughing.

"Hahaha! Now, finish her!" King Rocko ordered.

Tippi screamed in terror as the five Rockoes pounced on her. She got punched and kicked, and soon she felt dizzy. She slowly closed her eyes, dropping to the ground.

"Great job, everybody! Now let's pick them up and head to that volcano!" King Rocko pointed to a volcano far away in the distance. "We need to give them and this thing to the wizard who lives in the volcano. If we give it to him, he will give us lots of money!"

King Rocko and The Rockoes laughed and they jumped into a truck, driving off.

...

"Ugh..." Mario sat up, looking around. "Where am I?"

He suddenly felt extremely hot. He looked down and screamed. He was on the edge of a volcano! The bubbling lava was below him, waiting for a victim. He realised ropes were tied around him so he couldn't escape, and two Rockoes were watching him. He also saw Luigi, Peach and Bowser next to him. Tippi was in a cage.

"What's going on!?" He cried.

"I don't know!" Peach said nervously. "I think King Rocko is going to push us into the lava!"

"We have to get out of here!" Luigi yelled.

"But how?" Tippi asked.

"Maybe we can distract the guards?" Bowser suggested.

"Wow, Bowser! That was pretty clever!" Peach said, shocked.

"Wonderful, you're finally awake!" King Rocko smiled, watching them as he sat on his throne.

"Grrr..." Bowser narrowed his eyes.

"Let us go immediately! I'm a princess!" Peach cried.

"That's not going to happen, princess." Said King Rocko, shaking his head.

"What are you going to do with us?" Luigi asked.

"I'm going to push you all into the lava. Then the wizard who lives in the volcano will give us lots of money and tools so we can build the machines we need!" King Rocko laughed.

"No!" Tippi cried. "We were so close to getting The Pure Heart..."

"The Pure Heart? What's that?" King Rocko asked.

"The heart-shaped stone you stole." Mario muttered.

"Oh, that? Why do you need it?" King Rocko inquired.

"There's this evil guy called Dimentio who wants to take over the world and we need all The Pure Hearts to defeat him." Luigi explained.

"Oh...Well, no matter. I'll just defeat him myself." King Rocko smiled.

"No, you don't understand! With the power of The Chaos Heart he'll be invincible!" Tippi yelled. "Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser are the only ones who can defeat him!"

"Yeah, and they can't defeat me. Pathetic." King Rocko muttered.

"Please, King Rocko! Don't do this!" Tippi pleaded.

"Shut it, you annoying bug!" King Rocko roared.

"WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG!?"

Everybody except King Rocko looked around, confused. Then a dream bubble appeared. The group looked inside. There was a small room with two bookcases filled with books. There was also a globe and a chair. Sitting on the chair was a wizard wearing a purple cloak. He had a big bushy moustache and he was holding a walking stick. He had yellow eyes but they couldn't see his face. Sitting on a desk next to him was The Pure Heart, still made of stone.

"Sorry, Merlain. The prisoners are stalling me." King Rocko apologised.

"IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME A SHOW IN FIVE MINUTES I'LL DRENCH YOUR VILLAGE IN LAVA!" Merlain roared.

The dream bubble disappeared. King Rocko picked up Luigi and lifted him into the air. Everybody watched in terror.

"Mario, Peach, Bowser, Tippi, you have to defeat Dimentio. Collect every Pure Heart and go to his castle. You have to rescue the others. I-I believe in you..." Luigi said.

King Rocko threw Luigi off the edge.

"Luigi!" Peach screamed.

Luigi screamed in terror as he fell down and down. Suddenly he was pulled back up roughly. He landed on a rock and looked up, breathing a sigh of relief. The rope was caught on a sharp rock. Merlain saw all this and narrowed his eyes.

"It looks like I'm going to have to do this myself..." He muttered.

He charged up his energy. A purple lightning bolt appeared in his hands and shot towards Luigi. Suddenly a blue one deflected it and both of them exploded, sending electricity raining down on them. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Tippi and King Rocko turned around in shock.

"Merlon!" Tippi cried.

"Tippi!" Merlon smiled. "I was on top of Flipside Tower, waiting for you to return, when the door started flashing black. Concerned, I took a huge risk. I walked through the door and into the world. I ran though a field and up a mountain, entering a village. I talked to this nice man called Saff, asking where you were. He said you went to The Tandoo Village, so I went there. Because I was so close to you I could use my powers to see where you were. I saw you on top of the volcano and I ran here as fast as I could."

"Thanks so much, Merlon!" Peach smiled. "Can you please free us?"

"Of course!" Merlon said.

"I can't let you do that." King Rocko said, standing in his way.

"Oh, shut up!" Merlon used his magic to create a blue lightning bolt, zapping King Rocko.

King Rocko shot up into the air and stumbled backwards, falling off edge. He fell down and down, landing in the lava. His legs disappeared under the lava, then his body, then his arms. His hand went under last. He then zapped Tippi's cage, releasing her. He used his magic to make the ropes around Mario, Peach and Bowser disappear and finally he used his magic to create a bubble around Luigi. He floated upwards and Peach popped the bubble, catching him.

"ARRRRGGGHHH!" Merlain roared, disappearing.

He appeared again in front of Merlon. Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser backed away.

"Merlon, we meet again." He muttered.

"Merlain..." Merlon said angrily.

Merlain zapped Merlon and he stumbled backwards.

"Heroes! Run to the base of the volcano and get The Pure Heart!" Merlon ordered.

Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser ran as fast as they could to a path leading downwards. The path was in a spiral, going down and down.

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE IT!" Merlain zapped the path, making a chunk of it break off and fall into the lava.

Luckily, Mario, Luigi and Peach had made it across before it happened. Bowser wasn't so lucky, however, and he plummeted to the lava below. Fortunately, he landed on a rock, avoiding the boiling lava.

"I'll wait down here!" He called to them.

Merlain was about to zap the path again but Merlon stopped him by zapping him with his blue magic. Merlain dropped to the ground, panting heavily.

"That's it!" Merlain raised his hands upwards, making a huge castle come out of the ground.

"Two can play at that game!" Merlon yelled, doing the same thing.

The ground rumbled, making Mario, Luigi and Peach wobble, almost falling into the lava.

Merlon and Merlain stood on top of the turrets of their castles, glaring at each other. Merlon shot cannonballs at Merlain from the cannons in his castle. Merlain's castle got hit multiple times but didn't collapse. Merlain grinned and shot cannonballs at the path, making random chunks of it break off and fall into the lava. Luigi also fell, but just like Bowser he landed on a rock. Mario and Peach were almost at Merlain's base now.

"Take this!" Merlon created guards and they ran towards Merlain's castle.

Merlain did the same and the guards attacked the castles.

"STOP COPYING ME!"

"NO, YOU STOP COPYING ME!"

Both of the castles collapsed, killing the guards. Merlon and Merlain ran towards each other, screaming. They both created huge lightning bolts.

**BOOM!**

The entire path dropped, and Mario and Peach gasped. Mario quickly picked Peach up and threw her at the door, making her break through it, landing in Merlain's base. Mario landed on a rock. Peach ran towards The Pure Heart, reaching out for it. The ground rumbled and The Pure Heart fell. Peach screamed as The Pure Heart got closer to the ground.

"Hahaha! I'm stronger than you, Merlon!" Merlain laughed, creating another lightning bolt.

Merlon was on the floor, panting heavily. Merlain got ready to attack him, grinning.

"Got it!" Peach caught The Pure Heart and raised it into the air.

A bright light came from The Pure Heart, making Peach drop it, not expecting the sudden light. Merlain disappeared in a flash of purple light, and the path returned to normal. Mario, Luigi and Bowser landed on it, looking around. Then all of them disappeared.

...

They appeared outside the door. All of them looked around.

"Wait...where's The Pure Heart?" Tippi asked, looking around.

Suddenly, the orange Pure Heart appeared in Peach's hands, not made of stone anymore.

"Woah...The Pure Heart is...pure!" Bowser yelled.

"How did it return to normal, Merlon?" Luigi asked.

"I don't know...I really don't..." Merlon said.

"Well, we better find a Heart Pillar." Peach said, holding The Pure Heart.

Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and Tippi walked off, leaving Merlon standing next to the door, confused.

**...**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The Mimi and Nastasia part will be in the next chapter. The next chapter is coming soon!**


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